Hybrid Drugs

21.05.2012 - British Bicycle Therapeutics plc (Cambridge) named Rolf Günther as its new Chief Executive Officer in April. Under the former CEO and COO of Affimed, Bicycle will offer drug discovery partners its proprietary bicyclic peptide technology, which combines the benefits of small molecules with the selectivity of biopharmaceuticals.

The technology platform allows affinity selection of peptides displayed on the surfaces of phages that are linked to an organic scaffold. Günther has more than 21 years of pharmaceutical industry experience, with an extensive background in drug development, biologics and speciality pharmaceuticals. At Affimed, he successfully developed the antibody specialist’s clinical product portfolio in oncology. Günther will continue to be engaged as COO at Affimed in a part-time position until August. He has also held the position of VP and General Manager of the Critical Care business unit of Aventis Behring, which he joined in 1996, and has been responsible for successful drug approvals in both the US and Europe.

17.08.2012 Dr. Ilka Diester has received the prestigious Boehringer Ingelheim FENS Research Award. The Frankfurt-based neurobiologist got a price money of €25,000 at the Forum of the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies in Barcelona.

The award was dedicated to her research at Ernst-Strüngmann-Institut where she and her team analyse sensomotoric circuits with help of optogenetic and electrophysiological tools. Their research aims at developing neuroprotheses which can compensate neuronal functional disorders. The price is sponsored by the FENS and Boehringer.

29.08.2012 Dr Decio L. Eizirik, Director at the University libre de Brussels (ULB), has been awarded the 2012 Albert Renold Prize of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

The prize is the most important international award in the field of pancreatic islets, and recognises "an individual's outstanding contribution to the advancement of knowledge in the field of research in the islets of Langerhans". Professor Eizirik and his colleagues at the Laboratory of Experimental Medicine at ULB have been investigating the molecular pathways involved in immune-induced beta cell impairment and apoptosis in type 1 diabetes (T1D). His research led to fundamental concepts such as the dialogue between the immune system and beta cells that trigger and amplify islet inflammation (insulitis) and progressive beta cell death by apoptosis. By using functional genomics and bioinformatics tools he and his group have clarified the cytokine-regulated gene networks that define beta cell outcome, including the recent discoveries of the role of endoplasmic reticulum stress and alternative splicing in this process, and the identification of the mitochondrial pathways that ultimately trigger beta cellapoptosis.By proposing that the beta cell is an active player in processes leading to its survival or death in T1D, Dr Eizirik changed the prevailing view in the field and identified several potential targets for therapy aiming at protecting beta cells in early diabetes.

03.08.2012 Belgian Amakem NV appointed Maarten van Geffen as new head of CMC and Operations in mid-July.

Van Geffen brings nearly 25 years international management experience in pharmaceutical development to Amakem, a kinase platform company focusing on ophthalmology. Previously, he was Director of Product Development at Shire-Movetis NV and responsible for the pharmaceutical development of the GI early and late phase products and was the CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing & Controls) lead for due diligence of early phase and late phase small and large molecule products. Prior to working at Shire-Movetis NV, van Geffen held several positions as Director of CMC Regulatory Affairs at Barrier Therapeutic NV, Centocor BV, and Janssen Research Foundation.

25.07.2012 Oslo-based DiaGenic ASA will have a new CEO in September: Paul de Potocki will succeed Henrik Lund, who has led the development of DiaGenic on an interim basis since April 2012.

Before de Potocki moved to DiaGenic, he was CEO of Aerocrine AB, a Swedish medical device and diagnostic company. Prior to joining Aerocrine, he served as Senior Vice President, Commercial and Strategic Development at Biovitrum AB. He has also served as Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing at the German company Fresenius Kabi, as well as Divisional Vice President, Global Sales and Strategic Marketing with Pharmacia. Before this, he held various international commercial management positions within the Unilever group. Henrik Lund will resume his former position as chairman of DiaGenic.

01.08.2012 Antibody drug-conjugates specialist ADC Therapeutics Sarl has named the former Genmab Vice President Dr Patrick van Berkel as its Senior VP Research & Development.

Van Berkel brings in more than 20 years of experience in the biotech industry, in particular in developing antibody-based drugs. He served with Genmab for more than nine years in different divisions. Prior to Genmab, Dr van Berkel worked for both Crucell and Pharming Technologies. He authors nine antibody patents and has published more than 30 scientific papers during his industry career. Van Berkel predicts an „explosion in ADC therapies in the coming decade“.

02.07.2012 Dr. Christian Patermann, the mastermind behind the EU's bioeconomy strategy, has been honoured by the Accademia dei Georgofili in Florence. In a ceremony in the Uffizi at the end of April, Patermann was appointed as a member of the the first public association in Europe dedicated to agrarian studies.

As Programme Director Biotechnology, Agriculture and Food at DG Research of the European Commission, Patermann drafted the EU's knowledge-based bioeconomy plans.

18.07.2012 Ark Therapeutics Group (London) has appointed Dr David Venables as its new CEO from the beginning of August.

Since joining the Board in April of this year, he has focused on the development of Ark's viral development and manufacturing capabilities based in Kuopio, Finland. Martyn Williams, who joined the Company in October 1998 as Finance Director and became CEO in mid 2010, will hand over to Venables and leave the Company at the End of July.

12.07.2012 In June, French Trophos SA appointed Christine Placet as its chief executive officer. She becomes CEO under a previously defined internal succession plan designed to provide continuity for Trophos, to bring the company's ongoing programmess to a successful conclusion and to seek strategic partnerships for its advanced clinical development drug candidates.

From 2004, Placet was CFO of the clinical stage pharmaceutical company developing innovative therapeutics for indications with under-served needs in neurology and cardiology. She has over 25 years' experience in a variety of areas of finance and business management. Prior to joining Trophos, she was CFO in a number of growing companies and start-ups in various industries, and worked as an auditor for eight years for Ernst & Young. She has a graduate diploma in financial accounting (DESCF) and a business school diploma from Sup de Co Marseille (DESCAF). Damian Marron, previously CEO, has moved to the biopharmaceutical Company Cytheris SA.

22.06.2012 In June, Ireland's Shire plc (Dublin) appointed a new Chief of Business Developer and Global Head of Human Resources. David Colpman, currently Senior Vice President, will take over that responsibility from Barbara Deptula, Shire's Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Development Officer, who will retire at the end of June.

Colpman, who has been with Shire for 12 years, brings in extensive experience in dealmaking. Prior to Shire, he worked at Glaxo Wellcome, Novo Nordisk and Boots Pharmaceuticals in a variety of business development and commercial roles. He started his industry career at ICI (now AstraZeneca) in formulation and manufacturing. Ann Judge (not pictured), Senior Vice President of Shire’s global Human Resources (HR) team, has also joined the Shire Leadership

26.06.2012 Swiss Molecular Partners AG (Zurich­-Schlieren) has appointed hematologist Lisa Rojk­jaer as its new Chief Medical Officer. Rojk­jaer, who comes in from German antibody specialist MorphoSys AG, has a track record of 10 years in bio­pharmaceutical drug development.

She will be heading up all clinical activities at Molecular Partners. Prior to her post as Vice President and Head of Clinical Development at Morphosys, she held a variety of senior positions in clinical development and medical affairs at Novartis and Novo Nordisk.

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